Grove City College to host Early Childhood Institute

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Grove City College to host Early Childhood Institute

2/1/2013

The Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV, in partnership with the Midwestern Early Childhood Council, is hosting the first Midwestern Early Childhood Institute: A Community Approach to Early Learning, at Grove City College. The conference runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, Feb. 1 and 2, 2013.

The Institute, with over 200 participants, will feature a variety of sessions designed to support parents of young children and professionals working within early childhood education. Session strands include: Language, Literacy and Numeracy, Positive Behavior Support, Parents as Partners, Transitions: Entering and Exiting Preschool, and Differentiated Instruction.

Attendees include teachers and administrators from school districts and preschools across the four counties of Mercer, Butler, Venango and Lawrence. Participants also include community members in higher education, parents and state agencies. The conference will feature a keynote address by Hedda Sharapan, who is the director of early childhood initiatives for the Fred Rogers Company.

Beyond the two-day conference, the Midwestern Early Childhood Council has established goals such that conference participants may engage in collaborative teaming projects to move forward with implementing change in key areas of early childhood educational improvement in the region. The conference will serve as the first effort in this initiative, allowing participants to begin the process of enacting plans vital to the advancement of early learning in midwestern Pennsylvania.

For more information on the conference, contact Associate Professor of Education Dr. Patricia Scheffler at psscheffler@gcc.edu or (724) 458-2023.